This article first appeared in The Havok Jorunal on 11FEB15.
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Don't lower the drinking age for members of the military; it's simply not a good idea.
My friend and fellow Havok Journal writer Leonard Benton recently posted a well-argued article in support of a bill sponsored by North Dakota state representative Andrew Maragas that seeks to lower the drinking age of … [Read more...]

On October 2, 2015, I gave notice to my boss: it’s time to do something different after ten and half years in the Army. In the spirit of a writer from my Dad’s generation, I look back on the things I carried:A great admiration for then-Captain Craig Whiteside, West Point TAC officer. Our cadet squad was shorthanded due to multiple injuries. He volunteered as a squad … [Read more...]

By Lana DuffyIf there is one thing of which we can be sure, it is that Chelsea Manning is out of prison and attempting to start making the Controversial Public Speaker rounds.If there is one other thing of which we can be sure, it is that no one is quite sure what to do about Chelsea Manning being out of prison and making the Controversial Public Speaker rounds.Case … [Read more...]

This week has offered some poignantly clear examples of the general public’s ability to view the world with blinders that conveniently shield them from anything that may upset their sensibilities.In the first and most obvious case we have Hillary Clinton herself, who has shamelessly shifted blame of her loss in the presidential election to, well, everyone and, in the … [Read more...]

It is difficult to write these words.But the War on Drugs has been a colossal failure.Recently reflecting on my own participation in this war, as a retired federal agent who was assigned to several counter-narcotics units with the FBI and NYPD during a 25-year law enforcement career, I recently stumbled upon a reckoning.No, it wasn’t just my binge-watching of … [Read more...]

I don’t know anything about cars. When something goes wrong with mine or it needs service I take it to a mechanic. Like most people, when I get the oil changed and the service technician comes out and asks me if I want a new air filter for my flux capacitor I flip a coin in my head and make a decision based from that.It wouldn’t make any sense for me to walk into the … [Read more...]

As a young man, I was fortunate enough to be involved with youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America. In the ‘Boy Scouts’, I learned various tasks the public has come to know: camping skills, marksmanship, and community service (those tin bins of popcorn won’t sell themselves!). Specifically, I recall earning merit badges (awards for completing specific … [Read more...]

Who is the greatest mass murderer in history and the personification of political evil? Everyone knows it’s Hitler, man!Read on, friends.As we’ve seen from media coverage lately, hating Nazis is pretty popular.Rightfully so, I say, given what they are and what they stand for.But why—and hear me out on this—is there so much more hate for Nazis than there is for … [Read more...]

How could they be so stupid? I thought to myself, and emitted an audible groan as I took in the image. “Shock-the-senses offensive” would be too benign a description of my initial reaction.I had been lost in the mindless reverie that comes with sipping my morning coffee and scrolling through my social media accounts. And then I opened Instagram and happened upon a shocking … [Read more...]

Spoiler Alert: This is not an Article 107 News article. The federal government paid over $53 million to two companies to build combat helmets between 2006 and 2009. The cost is not the problem. The problem is almost 150,000 Army and Marine Corps combat helmets were defective. Oh by the way, prisoners made the helmets.First of all, the prisoners came from the Federal … [Read more...]

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